Washington, D.C. — December 2, 2025 :
The United States escalated its global economic warfare today by imposing sweeping sanctions on 20 oil tankers registered under the flag of the tiny Pacific microstate, the Cook Islands. This action marks the largest single crackdown on the so-called “ghost fleet“—a clandestine armada of vessels that uses flags of convenience and opaque ownership to smuggle illicit crude.
The U.S. Treasury Department, citing detailed data, accused the tankers of facilitating the transport of over $2 billion worth of Russian and Iranian fuel between 2024 and 2025, effectively funding prohibited regimes and circumventing international sanctions. The vessels, registered via Maritime Cook Islands, were identified for engaging in shadowy transshipments in international waters, particularly near known smuggling choke points like Malaysia and the UAE.
Treasury Undersecretary Brian Nelson characterized the move as a critical “crackdown on sanction evaders” who exploit lax oversight offered by registries in small nations like the Cook Islands (population 17,000), which hosts over 1,500 ships.
The sanctions—which freeze U.S. assets and bar American financial dealings—are poised to disrupt as much as 10% of the global shadow oil trade.
The diplomatic fallout was immediate: Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown promised an internal probe, while Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian condemned the action as “economic terrorism.” Russian Deputy PM Alexander Novak hinted at potential retaliatory measures, underscoring the high-stakes nature of this financial confrontation, which comes amid warnings of rising insurance costs for neutral shipping flags worldwide.
